The present invention relates to casino card games. Specifically the present invention is a bonus feature casino card games that offers wagers dependent on the outcome of base game as well as wagers independent of the outcome of the base game.
Many casino games include players playing against the casino to obtain a player hand having a value closer to a target value than the house hand. For example, Baccarat, Blackjack, Spanish Twenty-One, and the like all fit this pattern.
Blackjack is a well known card game played in casinos. The object of the game is to have a final hand total as close to twenty-one as possible without exceeding twenty-one. For purposes of calculating the final hand total, each card has a value equal to its face value except face cards, which have a value of ten, and aces, which may have a value of eleven or one as the player selects. In conventional Blackjack, the suit of the cards is irrelevant.
The form of Blackjack played in casinos is played between a dealer, representing the house, and at least one player. In a typical Blackjack game, each player makes a wager in a wagering area on a playing surface. The dealer deals two cards to each player and two cards, one card face up and the other face down, to himself or herself. Any player receiving a natural twenty-one or Blackjack, i.e. a total of twenty-one in the initial dealt hand, is immediately rewarded, typically at a rate of 2:1 or 3:2, and play is terminated as to that player. Each remaining player examines the player""s hand and decides whether to hit, i.e. receive another card, or stand, i.e. stand on the player""s current hand. A player may hit as many times as the player wishes as long as the player does not bust, i.e. have a cumulative total greater than twenty-one. When a player busts, the player""s wager is immediately collected and play is terminated as to that player.
A player may also have additional options available depending on the initial hand dealt. If the player receives a pair, i.e. two cards having the same face value, the player may split the pair and use each card as a basis for a separate hand. For example, if a player were to be dealt a pair of eights, the player may choose to split the pair and continue play with two hands each having an eight and an additional dealt card. Each of those individual hands is then played independently.
A player may also have the option to double down. Although the availability of the double down option vary from casino to casino, the option allows a player to double the player""s wager in exchange for a single additional card.
After all the players have played their hands, the dealer reveals the face-down card in the dealer""s hand. The dealer plays the dealer""s hand according to established house rules. That is, the casino uses established rules to eliminate the dealer""s discretion hits or stands as the house rules dictate, and resolves the wagers. In resolving the wagers, players with a final hand total closer to twenty-one than the dealer""s final hand total are rewarded at 1:1. Conversely, wagers are collected from players with a final hand total further from twenty-one than the dealer""s final hand total. If the dealer busts, all players who did not bust or receive a Blackjack are rewarded. If the player and dealer push, i.e. have the same final hand total, the player""s wager is returned.
It is known in the art that players are drawn to new features on conventional games, especially when those features lead to higher or more frequent payouts. One method for a player to increase the excitement and potential win for the player is for the player to make an additional wager to participate in a bonus feature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,730, issued to Pike, discloses a side wager for Blackjack in which players are immediately rewarded for obtaining card sequences independent and separate from the Blackjack game. The winning bonus sequence may include only two cards, such as a pair of cards or adjacent cards, or it may include multiple cards. The player may earn a bonus reward even if he or she loses the Blackjack game itself.
However, the game of Pike has drawbacks. First, the payouts are cumulative in that a reward is issued when the player receives the first and second card of the sequence and separate rewards are issued as the player xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d and receives the other cards of the sequence. That is, a player may be issued a first reward for receiving two aces. If the player hits and receives a third ace, he is rewarded again, and so forth. This can create a burden on the casino because the dealer must examine each player""s hand after each hit to determine whether a bonus hand has been obtained and issue a reward accordingly.
Another drawback of Pike is that player are required to select from a plurality of bonus outcomes. In other words, a player must wager separately on multiple, mutually exclusive bonus outcomes for each hand. This can be burdensome on the player because the player must wager a great deal of money to cover all possible bonus outcomes. Also, because a player is unlikely to wager on all possible bonus outcomes for every game, bonus payouts are likely to be infrequent.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,077, to Jones, discloses a side wager for black jack in which players receive a progressive jackpot reward for receiving a variety of hands including straights, suited combinations, and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,731, also to Jones, likewise discloses a side wager for Blackjack in which players receive a progressive jackpot reward for receiving three aces during the play of the player""s hand. The drawbacks to Jones ""077 and Jones ""731 are that the progressive payouts must be tracked by the dealer and carried over to each successive game. Again, this can be a burden on the dealer and reduce his or her efficiency and number of games dealt per time period.
Lofink, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,888 also discloses a game in which a bonus is paid for receiving various combinations of cards that add to twenty-one, such as three sevens, three suited sevens, six-seven-eight, and so forth. However, bonus payouts will be infrequent in such a bonus scheme because the only bonus combinations disclosed add to twenty-one. Also, there is no added excitement for the player because a sum of twenty-one already guarantees the player at least a push.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a new game that is based on conventional Blackjack, which is well known and easy to learn, yet provides the opportunity for frequent bonus payouts for obtaining certain hands.
A method for providing a bonus for a base casino card game begins with a player making an ante wager to participate in the game and first and second bonus wagers to participate in the bonus feature. The base game of the present invention is of the type in which a player plays against a dealer using standard playing cards or electronic representations thereof. The dealer may be a person or the player may play against a gaming machine representing a dealer. The player and a dealer are each dealt a hand of cards. The player may optionally select to receive additional cards.
The first bonus wager is resolved by comparing the cards of the player""s hand to a predetermined set of bonus combinations. The bonus combinations may optionally be limited to four or fewer cards. The bonus combinations may optionally include one or more of the following: Designated Card, Face Card, One Pair, Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind, and Suited Four of a Kind. If the player""s hand contains one of the bonus combinations, the player is rewarded. Alternatively, if the player""s hand does not contain one of the bonus combinations, both the first and second bonus wagers are collected. That is, the player cannot win the second bonus wager unless he has won the first bonus wager.
Optionally, the dealer""s play may be governed by established house rules. The values of the dealer""s hand and the player""s hand are summed according to the rules of the game, and the player""s ante wager is resolved by comparing a player""s hand value with the hand value of the dealer and determining which hand is closest to a target value.
The second bonus wager is resolved by rewarding the player if the player hand contains one of the bonus combinations and the player has a player hand value closer to the target value than the dealer. That is, the player is rewarded only if the player wins both the base game and the first bonus wager. If the player loses the base game, for example by exceeding the target value or by having a player hand value further from the target value than the dealer, or if the player loses the first bonus wager by having a player hand that does not contain one of said bonus combinations, the player""s second bonus wager is collected. Optionally, the second bonus wager is paid at 3 to 1.
In an optional embodiment, a gaming machine may represent a dealer and electronic representations of standard playing cards may be used. In such an embodiment, the gaming machine includes a data processor communicating with a data structure and a display. The method begins with the player making an ante wager, a first bonus wager, and a second bonus wager. In response, the data processor deals a two-card hand to the player and the dealer and displays the player""s hand and one of the dealer""s cards at the display. The player elects to receive additional cards or stand on the two-card hand. The data processor resolving the player""s first bonus wager by comparing the cards of the player""s hand to a predetermined set of bonus combinations stored in the data structure. Optionally, each bonus combination comprises four or fewer cards. The player is rewarded if the player""s hand contains one of said bonus combinations. In an optional embodiment, the reward is issued for the highest ranking bonus combination only. Alternatively, the player""s first and second bonus wagers are collected if the player""s hand does not contain one of said bonus combinations.
The data processor deals additional cards to the dealer according to the house rules stored in said data structure, then resolves the player""s ante wager by comparing the player""s hand value with the dealer""s hand value. For example, in Blackjack, the player is rewarded based on the ante wager if the player""s hand value is closer to twenty-one than the dealer or if the dealer""s hand value exceeds the target value. Conversely, the player""s ante wager and second bonus wager are collected if the dealer""s hand value is closer to twenty-one than the player or if the player""s hand value exceeds twenty-one.
The player""s second bonus wager is resolved by rewarding the player if the player hand contains one of the bonus combinations and has a hand value closer to twenty-one than the dealer or collecting the player""s second bonus wager if (1) the player""s hand does not contain one of said bonus combinations or (2) the player loses the base game. For example, in Blackjack, the player may lose the base game by having a player""s hand value that exceeds twenty-one or if the dealer""s hand value is closer to twenty-one than the player hand value. Optionally, the second bonus wager is paid at 3 to 1.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bonus payout for a base casino card game that includes components that are dependent on the outcome of the base game and independent of the outcome of the base game.